Prime Minister Tony Abbott now has the trophy of the carbon tax repeal, after the Senate today voted the legislation through the parliament on the third attempt.

The Abbott Government hopes voters will give it credit for finally killing the politically toxic tax, and reward it with a much-wanted lift in popularity.

It fulfils Mr Abbott's five-year long campaign to scrap the tax. He led a devastating assault against prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, ultimately bringing about their demise, and the end of the Labor government.

The Coalition's policy flip-flops on the policy over the years have also claimed the leadership scalps of two of its own - Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull.

Australia now has no formal carbon abatement alternative in place, with the Opposition, Greens and crossbench senators highly sceptical of the Coalition's policy Direct Action.

In mounting a last-minute defence, the Opposition's leader in the Senate Penny Wong said future generations "will look back on these bills and they will be appalled at the short-sighted, opportunistic, selfish politics" of the Government.

"Mr Abbott will go down as one of the most short-sighted, opportunistic, selfish and small people ever to occupy the office of prime minister," Senator Wong said.

Some in the Coalition wonder at the long-term fallout of sidling up to Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer in getting the repeal through.

Mr Palmer last week agreed with the Government to pass the bills, but reneged within hours and in the process, slandered highly respected and impartial parliamentary staff.

When he retired from Parliament recently, former Nationals senator Ron Boswell warned the Coalition against dealing with Mr Palmer and his PUP Senators.

"The Palmer United Party is based on gimmicks," he said.

"A party can't survive on gimmicks. I don't think it has a future. A party's got to be based on more than one person because it becomes a cult, not a party.

"Clive, you can vote for us or you can vote with the Labor Party. You take your pick, but we're not going to pander to you."

Will the dealing over the past fortnight come back to haunt the Coalition?

Even though the tax is gone today, the issue's not dead.

It will continue to be an issue every day until the next poll, due in 2016.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised to take an emissions trading scheme to the next election.

Expect the Coalition to campaign hard against it and remind voters that in 2010 Labor promised exactly the same thing, and yet it delivered a tax.

A policy that cost it two leaders and government.

The Coalition will hope, as it battles a deeply unpopular budget, that memories of a broken promise on that tax will motivate voters to keep them on the government benches.